It has been determined that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) environment of the brain is important in regulating, in a negative and positive fashion, cerebral blood flow. Control of the pressure and flow pulsatility of CSF can result in improved blood flow in the brain secondary to decreasing cerebrovascular resistance and increasing cranial compliance. In many situations involving brain injury, whether due to stroke, trauma or other causes, a major effort in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting is to prevent secondary, extended brain injury which results from ischemia caused by decreased cerebral blood flow. These efforts can involve increasing systemic arterial pressure, or decreasing intracranial pressure (ICP) to ultimately increase cerebral perfusion. In the case of trauma and stroke for example, large hemi-craniotomies have been performed to decrease intracranial pressure and increase brain compliance allowing more blood flow. Another alternative is the placement of a ventricular catheter to allow drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, allowing more space for blood inflow and increasing brain compliance. Unfortunately, the former technique is a large procedure and has complications. Ventricular catheterization is limited by the amount of fluid which can be drained, also resulting in slit ventricles completely drained without further advantage.